Celebrities keep ‘retiring.’ We sort the quitters from the fakers.
In Hollywood, where retirement is less of a life decision than a passing phase for some, Ellen DeGeneres has been remarkably consistent about her plans to quit entertainment forever.
She pulled the plug on her long-running talk show in 2022, after a toxic workplace scandal tarnished her image. She is now doing one last comedy tour for Netflix, literally called “Ellen’s Last Stand … Up.” On a tour stop in California this month, DeGeneres reiterated to the crowd, “This is the last time you’re going to see me. After my Netflix special, I’m done.”
And yet, they still doubt. A fan at the same show asked DeGeneres if she planned to return as Dory in a “Finding Nemo” film, so the legendary comedian resorted to baby talk: “No, I’m going bye-bye, remember.”
If no one believes her, it may not be her fault. The history of the U.S. entertainment industry is replete with cases of celebrities announcing they were quitting the industry, only to go back on their word.
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Ye
The rapper formerly known as Kanye West - who won 24 Grammys before torching his reputation with antisemitic rants in 2022 and has announced three new albums since then - appeared to declare his retirement in a screenshot of a text conversation posted online by Ye’s musical collaborator, Rich the Kid, on July 9.
“I am retiring from professional music,” Ye allegedly wrote, as Rich tried to talk him out of it. “Not sure what else to do.”
Psych. Rich the Kid posted minutes later that he was releasing an album featuring Ye. The same day, it was announced that Ye would release a song with the rapper Consequence on July 12. It’s unclear if the texts about quitting were faked to build hype for the releases; Ye’s people did not reply to a request for comment.
Verdict: No retirement from Ye yet. Also, where is the “Yahndi” album?
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Pat Sajak
Sajak finished his run on “Wheel of Fortune” in June after 41 years on the show, after originally announcing his retirement in June 2023.
But on July 10, Sajak was confirmed as a host of ABC’s “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” which premieres in the fall. Kellyn Holmes, a senior publicist for ABC Entertainment, said this will be Sajak’s last season hosting the game show. The number of episodes he will appear in has yet to be determined, she said.
Verdict: Sajak’s retirement has ended, albeit briefly. We are unsure how many episodes his “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” run will include. But for now, he’s back in the game.
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John Cena
Okay, this one is a bit messy if you’re not a wrestling geek (like this reporter). Cena, a professional wrestler turned actor, announced July 6 that he would be retiring from the not-quite sport.
Then he added that he would wrestle 30 to 40 mores times throughout 2025. Oh, and Cena will continue to work alongside WWE when his career ends, though not in a wrestling capacity. “People say they’re walking away, and two years later they come back. I want to set the record straight right now. I’m done. This is it,” Cena said at a WWE press event. “Part of this business plan that I proposed and they accepted was me remaining in the WWE family in some capacity for an extended time to come.”
Verdict: He is retiring from in-ring competition, but he will still act in movies and television shows, and potentially show up on WWE’s television products as a “behind-the-scenes” character. And if he ever does decide to hop back in the ring, he wouldn’t be the first wrestler turned actor to do so.
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Evangeline Lilly
Lilly, star of “Ant-Man and the Wasp” and the 2004 hit show “Lost,” announced June 3 on her Instagram that she would be taking a break from acting.
“I am so filled with joy and contentment today as I live out my vision. Praise God, I feel so grateful for my blessings,” she wrote on Instagram. “Stepping away from what seems like the obvious choice (wealth and fame) can feel scary at times, but stepping into your dharma replaces the fear with fulfillment.”
She added that she “might return to Hollywood one day, but, for now, this is where I belong.”
Verdict: Not clear. Lilly has stepped away before, after her run on “Lost” wrapped up in 2010. It wouldn’t be surprising for her to fade into the background before resurfacing in another “Avengers” movie.
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Lizzo
Lizzo shocked her fans in April when she suggested that she was leaving the industry, or music, or social media, or … something. Her Instagram post was mostly spent venting her frustrations over becoming “the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look,” concluding simply, “I didn’t sign up for this s--t, I QUIT.”
Days later, Lizzo clarified in a video that “when I say ‘I quit,’ I mean I quit giving any negative energy attention.” She added: “What I’m not going to quit is the joy of my life, which is making music, which is connecting to people.”
Verdict: She hasn’t quit. She said it herself. Unless she says otherwise later.
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Britney Spears
In January, a fired-up Spears denied certain tabloid reports that she was working on a new album.
The ’90s pop icon wrote in an Instagram post: “Just so we’re clear most of the news is trash !!! They keep saying I’m turning to random people to do a new album … I will never return to the music industry !!!”
So far, Spears has held true to her word, but her decades-long relationship with the music business has many fans doubting that they won’t reconcile. Spears released a song called “Hold Me Closer” with Elton John in 2022, which was her first released track since the end of her conservatorship. She also had a track with Will.i.am called “Mind Your Business” in 2023. So new music isn’t entirely out of the question for her, right?
Verdict: Unclear. It seems Spears has nixed the idea of a new album, though new music might be possible. As her memoir proved, she has a lot of songwriting material if she wants to return to music.
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Nicki Minaj
In September 2019, Minaj shared that she planned to retire and spend time with her family. But that post was subsequently deleted, and Minaj backtracked in an interview with Billboard days later, saying she “can’t really see taking myself completely away.”
Since then, she has released the 2023 album “Pink Friday 2,” featured on several songs and has been touring around the world.
Verdict: Case closed. Minaj hasn’t quit music.
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Louis C.K.
It would be hard to count all the celebrities who have slinked away from the limelight after being accused of sexual misbehavior in the #MeToo era, but Louis C.K.’s mea culpa stands out. The comedian released a long statement to the New York Times in late 2017, a day after the newspaper published the accounts of several women who said he took advantage of them.
“These stories are true,” the message began, and ended with a promise to “step back and take a long time to listen.”
Who knows what Louis C.K. considers a “long time,” but he returned to the stand-up comedy scene less than a year later and has since seemed to have revived his career, selling out theaters and becoming the subject of multiple documentaries.
Verdict: #MeToo accusations derailed the careers of many celebrities and Hollywood bigwigs, but as Louis C.K. proved, that doesn’t mean they’re gone forever.
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David Letterman
Like DeGeneres, David Letterman was pretty blunt when he announced his retirement in 2015. “For the last time on a television program, thank you and good night,” he said on his final episode of “The Late Show.”
And hello and good day. Letterman got his own Netflix series two years later and even stopped by “The Late Show” in 2023. His series, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” has had two episodes in 2024 so far - one with Charles Barkley, the other with Miley Cyrus.
Verdict: Letterman is no longer retired and has shown a willingness to stop by Hollywood on occasion. How long he chooses to do so is another question entirely.
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Jay-Z
One of the more notable “I’m retiring but not really” moments came from the rapper Jay-Z, who said in 2003 that he was done making music. You know how this ends: Three years later he released the album “Kingdom Come” and has since released four more, as well as a handful of features.
In 2022, Jay-Z reflected on his inability to retire in an interview with Kevin Hart. “I tried that. I’m terrible at that,” he said. “I just needed a break. But I really thought that I was really burned out at the time.”
Verdict: Jay-Z could probably afford to retire any time he wants, but he doesn’t seem ready to do so yet.
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Justin Bieber
Bieber has had a complicated relationship with his career. In December 2013, he announced on Twitter that he was retiring, the night before his movie “Justin Bieber’s Believe” hit theaters. But Bieber didn’t stay retired for long. Since 2013, he has released three albums (2015’s “Purpose,” 2020’s “Changes” and 2021’s “Justice”) and had some pop-charting singles, including “Love Yourself,” “Sorry” and “What Do You Mean?” His appearance on the remix of Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” led to the hit being a 2017 song-of-the-summer contender.
However, in June 2022, Bieber announced he would take another break from music as he contended with a diagnosis of Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome. One month later, he began touring again. The tour, which stretched across Europe, “took a real toll” on him, Bieber said in a social media post at the time.
In February 2023, he canceled his “Justice World Tour” dates and seemingly disappeared from the spotlight.
But Beliebers found new hope when the singer posted several photos in January, one of which showed him with a microphone in a studio. He also appeared to include a snippet of a new song in a post in May.
Verdict: We somehow doubt Bieber will remain out of the radio playlists much longer.
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On the bubble: Adele, Trixie Mattel
Two later entries to our list are Adele and Trixie Mattel, who both announced this week that they are feeling burned out and need to step away from the spotlight.
Adele specifically said her “tank is empty” after completing a two-year residency in Las Vegas. Trixie Mattel, a star of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” who has been running a YouTube channel in addition to other television appearances, announced a three-month break and teased “a complete reboot” after what Trixie described to be a difficult year.
So, expect to see Trixie back in the spotlight in the fall. As for Adele, she’ll probably be hanging at Los Angeles Lakers games beside her partner Rich Paul, a longtime associate of LeBron James. Sure, she may not perform new music, but she will probably be on screen.
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